Title in Progress
by Slider
Summary: This is a story I am currently working on. It is by no means whatsoever complete, so please keep that in mind if and when you review it.
1. Chapter 1

PROLOGUE

In the times of old, when magic still existed, there ruled six kingdoms, all engaged in a never-ending war. Each wanted to become supreme, but knew it had to eliminate the others before that dream could be a reality.

In those times, there consisted of only six territories. The wind tribe, lead by Queen Gaail, controlled the skies and cloud kingdoms while the realm of the lord of light, Lumar, lay right below them, atop the mountains and the highlands. In the seas ruled Aquion, the aquatic emperor, who also controlled the various islands within its boundaries. Along the shorelines, Tyjora, the fire monarch, commanded, not to mention the copious deserts as well. As for the forests and verdant valleys, Quirr, the earth ruler, dominated. Wodash, the matchless general of darkness, ruled the wastelands and countless subterranean areas.

The six factions have been jealous of each other's powers. Because of that, there have not been any compromises or even anything as simple as peace between them. Those of the light realm envied those in the wind tribe, for they controlled the clouds. The fire and darkness kingdoms have fought on plethora occasions, over mere territory issues. While these quarrels occurred between these four clans, there was an eternal struggle by the earth and water. Each wanted more of the other's land. Earth built and water eroded.

After a while, the various leaders of the empires sought an end the all of the bickering and clashing with one another. They gathered in the only neutral zone, the Plains of Viridia, located in the center of the territories. When the rulers came together, they habitually fought. However, this time, they knew that there is more on the line than before.

In the end, there came a decision for there to be a grand competition, to find out, for now and forever, which kingdom is superior. Tyjora had brought up the idea. Wodash, thinking that his forces would no doubt be victorious, had quickly seconded it. Also not doubting their abilities, the others, one by one, consented to this suggestion.

After deliberations, they decided that each realm would choose three of its best to take part. The tournament would take place as a race of sorts, but no one competing could use any transportation ability, spell, or contrivance. This greatly agitated Aquion, for his people were not as lithe on land.

The course would commence in the plains then change to the verdant hillsides of the earth monarchy. It would then go to the desert of the fire lord's domain, followed by a trip into the wastelands of darkness. That was not all. Afterward, it would lead into island hopping, which spanned across Aquion's territory. To end the journey, one must then travel to the peak of the light emperor's mountain and into the cloud palace of the winds. The first, who entered there, alive, would receive the title of the ultimate tribe for his or her own, instantly forcing all others to forfeit and concede defeat to the champion's kingdom.

Each had a team of three to put into this competition. All the elitists in each clan had a special ability that only those from it possessed. While the darkness soldiers obtained the skill Shadow Stealth, an invisibility charm, the light warrior ascertained the power of Light of Radiance, an incantation that brought forth a brilliant flash of light that temporarily blinded the enemy. The water combatants used the Transcending Wave, a spell that summoned an immense tidal onto the foe. Fire minions had the Blazing Inferno, which encased its victim inside a tower of flames. Members of the wind tribe learned the skill of Gail Storm, which bring a tornado to knock the opponent into the air, where the power of air rules. Just as the others, earth fighters used a power as well; they had Terrain Purge. This spell can elevate the ground levels and impale enemies.

The fates that are unexpectedly chose Xentra, a seemingly lowly mage from the Light realm, to compete in this dire tournament …...


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER ONE

For countless years, the six kingdoms have quarreled copiously. Upon the upcoming tournament, they have temporarily put aside their differences to contend with one another in order to find out which of them is superior to the rest. A contest of sorts shall commence and the six of them-light, darkness, earth, wind, fire, and water-will compete.

In a dark and sullen valley, a mage of light stands over the fallen master of a defeated legion of undead, grunting with the triumph of his victory while striking the final blow. When the powerful sorcerer returned to his land, satisfaction on his face and success in his heart, the crowds cheered and rejoiced in his homecoming. Throngs exalted him on his return, him along with his teammates by his side, faces shadowed by their overhanging heads in recognition of his greatness.

Within the light kingdom, an unexpected hero, Xentra, opened his eyes ruefully, realizing it had only been a dream. When his vision came into focus, he witnessed the sunshine stream through his vermillion-shaded window, giving his bed welcomed glowing warmth. He sat up, looking sleepily at the opposite wall, seeing his best friend standing their, arms crossed with an impatient expression on her face. He hurriedly jumped out of bed, not wanting to be late for the gathering happening that day. He looked in the mirror, satisfied by his arcanist outfit and snow-colored, slightly disheveled hair. Gryffa, a winged warrior of light, took him by the arm and led him down the corridor, out of the dormitory wing of the building.

"C'mon, hurry! You're gonna be late!" Gryffa pronounced every word with great urgency. Xentra immediately appeared alarmed. Dressed in his ceremonial white robes, he rushed after Gryffa, outside and toward the ceremonial hall, where the other two representatives from the light empire waited. Pikarri, an angelic being like Gryffa, and Raniim, a paladin of sorts, darted their eyes towards the arriving mage, who unexpectedly entered with another in tow. Lumar, the ruler of the light realm, acknowledged the light warriors who stood before him. There seemed to be one more than anticipated.

Pikarri quickly pointed out Gryffa and made sure a guard escorted her outside. Though persistent, she was her attempt to see what was going on; Gryffa could not make out much of what was happening with her view from the entrance of the hall. Once the selected were alone with Lumar, he continued.

"You have all been chosen as the best of your fields, and now, when you are needed most, I call upon you three." Lumar's voice echoed through the hall. He carried on, consulting each one individually, "The competition commences in two days. You all must be ready by then. Raniim, you must hone your skill as a swordsman of light. Pikarri, you also need to harness your powers as a winged soldier of light. Finally yet importantly, Xentra, you must make certain that you build your talents as a mage. We may in fact need you more than the rest. You all should have mastered our trademark spell, Light of Radiance. If not, then I fear, for you might not be ready when the real threat presents itself." Lumar looked downward to his feet, frowned, and then looked at his combatants hopefully.

After much more preparation talk, Xentra appeared overwhelmed while Pikarri and Raniim seemed stoic about their fate. One by one, they exited the hall, having solemn expressions. Pikarri glared at Gryffa on her way out, and then stalked off. Raniim nodded back toward Xentra then followed behind Pikarri. Xentra glanced toward the other two, but stopped at the sight of Gryffa. She had a worried expression upon her face.

Before Xentra could fully open his mouth for an explanation, Gryffa inquired about the discussions that occurred inside. Xentra replied with a grave facial expression, "There are only two days left of preparation before we leave. He gave us these charms, stolen from another kingdom. He didn't say which." Out of his pocket, Xentra pulled a steel ornament; it looked as if it was meant to be worn around the neck." They're supposed to induce invisibility." Gryffa gaped at the charm. It is a polished silver miniature of a dragon. Xentra nonchalantly put it back into his robe pocket. Xentra led her back to his room, thinking about what was yet to come, hoping it would not be too formidable. .

As the sunlight waned, the pair went back to Xentra's room. While still marveling over the talisman Xentra had shown her, Gryffa thought about how she might use it. Xentra distracted her from her contemplations by starting explaining what exactly went on earlier that day.

Even though Lumar himself forbade doing so, he did not think anyone would find out. Xentra sighed and continued. "He told us that if we wanted to defeat the enemy, we had fight like them, copy their style, and beat them at their own game. That is why Lumar gave us the talismans of invisibility."

Gryffa sat in silence, dazed from what Xentra revealed. Overwhelmed by the news he had just presented her, Gryffa tried to avoid the subject. She halfheartedly wished Xentra a good night, departing with a _swoosh_ of her wings on the way out.

The next morning, at dawn, Gryffa woke Xentra. The pair went into the nearby wilderness to train his abilities. When they came to the first clearing, they encountered Pikarri, who had been honing her power of flight. Looking at her own angelic wings, Gryffa frowned. Gryffa felt hers were not as majestic. She had the impressions that this meant her wings were not as powerful. Not wanting to wait around for Pikarri to notice them, Xentra approached her, hoping she might move, if not share the spot, but his attempts were to no avail. He thought about and in the end decided against the idea. As he turned back to Gryffa, she put her hands to her mouth as she gasped from surprise. Xentra spun back around, just in time to see Pikarri flying straight at him. Instead of doubling over from her wing attack, Xentra dove onto some nearby earth, as if he expected her onslaught.

While looking for a place to train, Pikarri had found herself a good, clear spot, perfect for practicing flying moves. It was not quite light yet, but she wanted to get an early start. After a while, she thought she was doing quite well, but was discouraged by a sudden fall. This did not daunt her enough for her to stop, so she continued, more determined than ever. After light came, the real fun could begin. As the morning sky had brightened a little, Pikarri started to elevate the level of training. She began to practice her wing attacks with the newfound light. This seemed to be going well, but during one of her landings, there came some unexpected guests…

Getting to his feet, Xentra dusted his robes off and looked back at Pikarri, just in case she doubled back. Instead, she landed. He approached her and asked why she had attacked him. She looked shocked and appalled at the question. Instead of answering, she scoffed at Gryffa and flew away haughtily. Gryffa started to protest but stopped herself at the last moment.

After their encounter with Pikarri, they left the spot she had been training on and ventured for a new place. Soon, they came upon Raniim, honing his sword skills. He was quite incredible actually. Xentra did not know much about him, only that he has trained as a paladin and will be accompanying him on the dangerous undertaking that they would depart for the next morning. Not wishing to disturb Raniim in his current state of concentration, Xentra and Gryffa moved on. After a little more walking, they saw a nice clear patch of grass, perfect for training.

She then suggested that Xentra train here, considering how available it was. He listened to her training there until the sun was high, attempting to strengthen his arcane skills. He did not worry about healing abilities, for he mastered them long ago, but the real trouble was becoming better at casting Light of Radiance. When he tried it, the spell dimmed at the last second. In the end, he decided to give up for the day, after going at it for several hours.

When they returned, they agreed how good of an idea eating really was. At the dining hall, Xentra and Gryffa retrieved some food from a line and ate ravenously. Training builds up an appetite. Although Gryffa did not actually train, she did help him do so, not to mention the fact she just loved to eat. However, Gryffa was not obese. On the contrary, she was slim, especially for how she ate.

After about ten minutes of chowing down, Xentra was finished. Gryffa had eaten three more courses than he had though, waiting as he was putting down his silverware. Actually, she was staring at him, waiting for him to be done. When he glanced up, Gryffa grimaced at him for being so slow. He knew that face by now. Xentra wiped his mouth, looked right back at her, and waited for her to say something.

Pushing her strawberry blond locks out her face, Gryffa began," Ya know, Xentra, maybe I could tag along with you three-just to keep you out of trouble. What d'ya thinks?"

Totally blown away by her suggestion, Xentra replied. At that time, only one thing came to mind, justification. "Well-uh-ya see, the thing is that…well, there's only supposed to be three representatives from the kingdom of light, and they've already been chosen." Noticing tears slowly well up in her eyes, Xentra acted hastily. "Since we're not gonna see each other for some time, I thought you should have this." Xentra fished out the talisman of invisibility and presented it to Gryffa.

Gryffa happily accepted, wiping away potential tears. She immediately put it around her neck. "How's it work again?" she asked Xentra, hoping he would know. As if merely not to disappoint, he responded," All you have to do is say the incantation: mor-grado. It's as simple as that really." Gryffa tried it; as soon as she pronounced the incantation, she disappeared. Not knowing what to do next, she repeated it. To her relief, she became visible once again.

Xentra's eyes darted around, apprehensively. He spotted Raniim, who had his own eyes looking at Gryffa's direction in a suspicious fashion. Grabbing Gryffa, Xentra hurried out of the dining hall, hoping to leave the prosecuting eyes behind.

Xentra led her to library. They stayed there for the remainder of the afternoon. In that time, Xentra and Gryffa studied up on the enemy from the other five nations of elemental power. There was not much information shared between the kingdoms, so little proved to be of any real help. What they did find, however, was information about their foes' special skills. The one they found most unappealing was the spell of Shadow Stealth, used by the darkness armies. One could penetrate any defense with, for while one has it in effect, they are temporarily invincible. This would prove to be especially troublesome.

Xentra did not know what to do. He left for the Plains of Viridia the next morning, and he was not ready for such an adventure. He shall never understand how became to be chosen as one of the privileged three. Lumar cast the decision down himself, for he apparently thought Xentra was worthy. Although he was no charlatan, Xentra knew he could not stand up to the warriors from the other realms, especially if the other two decided not to look after him. The moon began to wax, so Gryffa wished Xentra good luck, hoping that in some way, any way, she could help in this plight.

The next morning, the day of the journey to the Plains of Viridia, Xentra could not have been more anxious. He gathered all of his equipment he thought he needed for the quest: an extra set of pure white wizard robes, a bottle of healing elixir, and his trusty Glimmer Staff. With these items tucked away, he was ready to go. He arrived promptly at the ceremonial hall, just in time to depart. When he entered, Raniim and Pikarri were already waiting. It seemed to Xentra that he always seemed to lag behind the others.

As the sunlight grew, the trio said their final goodbyes, but Xentra could not find Gryffa anywhere. After Lumar summoned them to leave, he had to give up searching. At the entrance of the light kingdom, Raniim, Pikarri, and Xentra waved to the cheering masses, hoping to one-day return, with the ultimate news. As Xentra turned to their form of transportation to the plains, enormous orbs of light made for uses of transport, he felt a strong zephyr, as if someone, or something, had flown by swiftly. Xentra thought he might know what it could have been, but he was not positive. In the end, he figured that he find out in due time, so he joined the others on their way toward the orbs. Raniim, Pikarri, and Xentra nodded to one another, climbed into separate orbs, and ascended into the sky, starting the beginning of what may very well be their end...


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER TWO

In the beginning of the trip, Raniim, Pikarri, and Xentra found themselves in a plight. On the way to the Plains of Viridia, the three representatives of the light kingdom encountered a bit of…turbulence. The top halves of the orbs of transportation were one-way windows. From these they saw what had commenced the uproar they were experiencing. It was none other than the formidable fighters from the wind palace, attacking within the sky.

Unknown to their feathered foes, the orbs had a protective field, stopping all melee type attacks. They found out this little tidbit of information after a myriad of failed attempts. Since this trial and error displeased the warriors of wind, they thought of a different approach to knock all those from the light realm to a devastating demise.

Falcoy, the leader of the aerial assault, led his team in a mid-air attack. Instead of head-on strikes, they made their attacks more indirect. Their wings flung gusts of wind at the orbs, trying to knock them off course. Disqualification would be the fate of any who did not arrive at the destination promptly. Those from the skies above wanted to make sure that happened, by steering the orbs astray. The orbs tossed and tumbled as their enemies gradually succeeded.

Realizing how futile their attempts were, they tried harder. Between the wind representatives, the orbs slowly traveled. Using their power of wind, the trio created an air stream. This extreme concentration of wind caused a whirlwind of sorts to materialize. From inside the orbs, Xentra became rather apprehensive and Pikarri receiving the urge to get out the sphere and fight. Raniim was more of a fatalist than they were, so he just sat in silence. He was upset about the situation indeed, but he knew it would be more dangerous to venture outside the orb than wait within. The three were toppling around, trapped in the triangulated tornado powered by their adversaries.

As if a higher power answered their prayers, something picked off the gaggle of wind combatants. First, Falcoy was hit, breaking the link and the whirlwind by extension. One by one, they fell, as if hit with a hard blow to the abdomen. The gales of wind that bombarded the orbs lessened to a gentle zephyr. The wind representatives fled, apparently frightened. At the departure of their enemies, Xentra shared identical expressions with his fellow delegates, even though they could not see one another: great surprise and relief. On the other hand, Raniim remained quite calm through the minor ordeal. Over the horizon, they could view the outskirts of the plains. This meant many things that day, but for them it meant, at least temporarily, safety.

Upon their landing, the three come together, hoping that no one else would have caught them off guard. Raniim led the others two to the gathering spot, his luminous blade on the ready. The first ones they met were those of the earth empire, Gronig, a human-wolf hybrid-often known as a canine warrior, Ammoza, the amazon of the group, and Rutan, their druid and mage of sorts. Even though Rutan posed no threat to Xentra, the sorcerer of light still thought him formidable. Regardless, Xentra knew that he would not have to worry because the kingdoms would bring mages of all types into the competition.

Each elemental realm had its own quarters, to accommodate its team until the events began. The tents, which were supposed to endure until the next day, for those representing the realm of light had a faint glow of yellow about them. Nearby, the brigands from the kingdom of darkness emerged characteristically from the shadows. Vetramos, the leader of their pack, led the way, intending to intimidate the competition. As they contemptuously approached, Raniim stepped out in front of the other two, looking adamant and hoping for a fight.

"What do _you_ three want?" Raniim threatened in a grave tone. Flemmik, elite undead on Vetramos' left, flinched slightly. Raniim smirked at the sight of this.

Seeming offended at Raniim's smirk, Vetramos swiftly unsheathed his ebony katana, tinted maroon with the dried blood of paladins slain by its blade, into a striking position. "Back off-or you'll get some of this, just like all the _other_ paladins that crossed my path."

Raniim remained, unflinching. Vetramos charged, ready to strike the paladin where he stood. A mysterious gale struck the dark warrior and thrashed him to the ground. He struggled but finally returned to an upright position. At this point, Vetramos was eyeing Pikarri and her wings. They gave no indication of movement. Pikarri seemed as surprised about his attack as Vetramos himself. He did not know exactly what, but he staggered away-not wanting to find out, the other two following. Raniim glared after the beaten and mortified reps from the darkness territory, following ominously with his eyes.

Raniim looked back at Xentra and Pikarri, bemused at the shocked expressions upon their faces. Raniim greatly impressed them by his boldness and control in the situation. Xentra, still awed by Raniim's performance, watched those from the darkness kingdom abscond, all the while knowing that the next time will be much different and hoping he would be as much in control as Raniim was this time.

Blaming the others for apparent impudence, Vetramos tugged them back to their designated area, infuriated by the encounter. He began plotting his revenge, all the while admonishing the other two for their bumbling performance.

As dawn arrived, many of the groups emerged from their tents, already appearing prepared for the trials and tribulations of the day to come. Xentra and the others joined the rest in the Viridian Hall. Upon their entrance, they found the hall more elegant and spacious than that of their home, back in their own kingdom. Each team has its own sitting quarters, just as they did living ones. The three sat and waited for things to quiet down, so it could start. The groups sat around the room according to their region's relation to the plains.

A sole individual approached the center, apparently to speak. The being was not visible beneath their cloak. Their voice also gave no indication of gender. Nevertheless, they spoke with command and pride, if not without some zeal," Today, we shall begin on the journey to what might just be the finish for many of you here. The race shall last six days, the final having the victor declared. It shall commence in the Kingdom of Earth. It is illicit to fight with another team within those boundaries, or even here for that matter. Throughout these lands, you will all face various dangers that will test not only your audacity, but your intellect as well. This will especially come into play within the orders of the water territories, " With that, the being looked in Aquion's direction, turned back, and then finished its speech," However, there will be a last minute twist in the departure implemented. Before the day is done, there shall be a small show talent from a representative from each group present. This decides in what order they depart."

After saying this, the shrouded individual descended from the stand and out of the hall. Caused by his words, much of those assembled there looked from one to another, speaking about what kind of display of talent they must show. At the table that sat the light reps, there was a unanimous vote that if they had a choice in the matter, Raniim would be the one to show his skills. Xentra was too unsure of his own abilities and Gryffa thought highly of Raniim's. Raniim was too modest to vote to do the feat but agreed nonetheless when the other two nominated him for the position. They left the hall wondering what was yet to come.

Striding into the open area between the quartering portions of Viridian Plains, Pikarri and the others saw some kind of stadium, conjured by countless mages working together on building different portions. One sorceress, dressed in crimson robes, spotted Xentra, still adorned in all white attire, and pulled him away to help with construction before Pikarri or Raniim had a chance to react. They did not pursue the sorceress, due to other, more appealing, distractions. Raniim was engrossed in watching a swordfight nearby. Pikarri observed winged combat in the skies above and flew high, for a better view.

After a few minutes with this new mage, Xentra recognized her as the spell caster representing the fire realm. He then realized that must have been how it was for them all: a warrior, mage, and strange creature of some sort. Xentra turned to the fire sorceress and asked her for himself, "Who are you?"

Taking off her hood, she looked quite radiant. She answered with a soft yet confident tone, "They call me Ember, but I thought it would be obvious, considering my robes. After all, it is apparent that you hail from Light Kingdom, due to your colors. That is how is for all of the representatives. It is an easy giveaway really." Ember led Xentra to an area where tents covered the ground, without even asking for his own name, and continued, "In case you did not know, all of the mages around here are assisting in the preparation for the grand test of skill, to exhibit our power."

Xentra stood there for a moment, stunned. It took a couple of seconds to grasp the concept, but when he did, he had immediate anxiety. "Does this mean that the test of skill that enigmatic person said at the gathering was meant for the MAGES?!"

Surprised to his shock, Ember replied nonchalantly, "Yes, the rest of us were told about it. I have no idea why you were not. I guess it was due to your group's early exit. I am not certain."

The two commenced to lifting the tents and moving them over to a better spot. Xentra made the initial levitation and Ember conjured a layer of flames beneath the tent, causing hot air to rise within and by extension, control the movement of the tent thereafter, but it was Xentra who made the landing for tent. They continued this process for about an hour so, all the while Eria, hailing from the aquatic empire, cautiously watched them.

When they finished their work, Ember and Xentra found that they were the last to do so. Afterward, they sat down to a late lunch. The pair were sitting at a plain picnic table and the same mysterious person whop gave the speech earlier came at the end. With a wave of their hand, they conjured a surfeit of food, not able for anyone to consume in a lifetime. The individual then sat down at an end spot. Mages from all the other kingdoms joined them as well. There was enough room for four to a side and a seat at each end.

Before the arcanists had much time to eat, a strong breeze blew at the spot where Xentra and Ember sat. One last person sat. There was only one seat open anyway. This newcomer to the table was obviously a mage too, due to his outward clothing of silver wizardly robes. He had a head topped with lush, flowing ebony hair. He was moderately tan and had strange yellow-gold eyes. He seated himself with silent ease, started eating as if he were merely late, and did not want to disturb the party by declaring his presence. As soon as he noticed the wind blowing, almost unnaturally, he glanced upward, toward a specific spot in the sky, as if looking intently at something. The sorcerer smirked and switched his attention back to his food.

After the feasting, Xentra walked with Ember, looking for their comrades. They came across Raniim, in the thick of a fight. The paladin was soon triumphant, without much hardship it seemed. Raniim stepped down from the small stage, meant for melee battles, without have broken a sweat. He then joined the two mages in search of Pikarri, the third member of the light team.

Not too long after, the trio encountered a rather large sand arena. Shadows danced all around, all the while within its boundaries. This made the location of the combatants quite apparent. Ember looked up, now seeing the mid air battles taking place. Pikarri struck Myabi, a half human-half falcon hybrid, from behind. Myabi immediately plummeted into the sand with an audible _thump. _Pikarri victoriously descended. When Pikarri landed, she looked toward Raniim and Xentra, beaming with pride. Hardly exhausted at all, Xentra and Ember led the group back to the stadium.

As they arrived to the seats, Raniim and Pikarri sat, tired from their trying yet satisfying bellicose endeavors. The two spellcasters sat beside them. The mysterious wizard who came late to the mage feast before now stood atop the stage, ready to make an announcement.

The sorcerer began, "I apologize for my colleague's misleading ambiguity earlier today. For you see, the test of skill shall depend upon the team's mages." Raniim and Pikarri glanced apprehensively at Xentra, and then turned their gaze back to the stage when the man continued. "Alequys is my name and I will be judging your performances. They will depend on showmanship, style, and power. The order of a group's departure from the Viridian Plains relies on their mage out casting the others. To start things off, Ember, of the fire kingdom will come up and show her magic." With that, Alequys waved a hand toward Ember, instantly bringing her up to the stage. She landed gracefully while the judge vanished to a table down beneath, where he could ascertain a grand view.

Ember's performance began with her turning the stage into a lava pit, which awed much of the audience. She continued with a display of her ability to control such fiery forces. The flames danced merrily in the twilight air. As this spectacle happened, her eyes transformed into blazing embers in their sockets. This visage gave the impression of fury, along with great power. The fires commanded by her commenced to alter into shapes of various beasts-wolves, dragons, serpents, etc. The finale the fire sorceress presented was that of creating a conflagration counterpart, made entirely of flames. Ember and her doppelganger took a bow and then the twin dissipated. Ember exited the stage. A cloaked figure then led her to a special benched area, where those who had already done their part sat.

Alequys got an idea from Ember's performance and spoke it aloud. "Gathered from Ember's presentation, I shall make the stage fitting for each mage, becoming their own individual landscape and suiting their needs. This is the only true way to test the capabilities of each. As for the next contestant, any of the rest may volunteer."

Eria jettisoned out of the crowd and onto the stage, propelled by the force of a conjured geyser. With another wave of Aleuqys' hand, the stage transformed into a miniscule island, surrounded by water. Eria skillfully landed. After which, she swiftly eroded the little land there was, leaving the stage in complete aquatic environment. The water sorceress' piece was quite prompt and ended with a ballet, done by water dragons, conjured from the surrounding waves.

Rutan came up next. The arena on stage turned into a miniature forest of sorts. He manipulated the roots of the newly conjured trees to twist and turn in a pattern. This was apparently was supposed to impress, but it did no such thing. Realizing his folly, he showed off his defensive spells. It consisted of an earthen spider web. The webbing constructed out of an earth and rock compound while the spaces between were formed from moss and foliage. The web took a dome shape. The swiftness of his cast and the obvious protection it offered awed many. Before long, he dissolved the web and levitated the material up into the would-be sky. He shot a blast of green earth energy at it. This caused pleasant and gradual rainfall of sparkling jade specks. This was apparently the finale, for he stepped off the stage shortly afterward.

Within the excited crowd, who awaited the next presentation, three mages remained-those from the darkness, light, and wind kingdoms. While Pikarri, Raniim, and the others were still politely applauding Rutan's act, Xentra looked over at the other contestants, those who had already performed, at their seats. He saw relief, embedded in every pore of their visages. With every act on stage, he became increasingly anxious. What was worse was that he knew his time would come. He would soon have to go up there himself and present a show of his magical talents, which he feared he sorely lacked.

The day had been eventful enough for Alequys. Nevertheless, he thought a little more could not hurt. The first three performances were incredible. He hoped the rest would follow suit. It had been almost a full ten minutes and dusk was fading away ever so quickly. Alequys noticed the lack of volunteers to continue, so he motioned toward the nearest mage in his line of view, anticipating that person to be one of those who remained to perform. . This happened to be the light mage. Xentra glanced back in Alequys' direction when he discovered his short-term fate and gave a melancholy nod. The sorcerer of light plodded toward the stage and ascended to the platform awaiting him.….


End file.
